Bring on the Rain
by Meerkatgirl13
Summary: What happens when Sinopa,a young girl,witnesses her mother's murder and literally runs into everyone's favorite Italian? How will he cope when he suddenly finds himself playing guardian to this sweet,but scared little girl?At least Germany's here to help.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N Hello! This is my first Hetalia fanfic, so please don't be too harsh. ^^ For those who follow me on Deviantart, this isn't anything new. I've decided to post this story on here just to see how people like it. So, please, please read and review this; I really want to see how you guys like it, if you do. I know very well that the plot is _very_ unrealistic, but this is more of a writing exercise than anything else. ^^ Oh, and be warned; Italy and Germany are very OOC in this... ^^;_

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><p><strong><em>Bring on the Rain<em>**

"Sinopa! Come on, we gotta go!" a woman called impatiently, shifting from foot to foot while glancing at the clock hanging on the wall every two seconds.

"Coming Mama!" a child replied, running down the hall, her long deep brown hair bouncing behind her as she ran.

The woman smiled at the seven year old, her brows furrowing at the sight of a pale scar running across the child's face despite herself. Sinopa grinned happily at her mother, her chocolate eyes sparkling in happiness and innocence as she held her favorite toy -a stuffed fox- close to her.

"Are you ready, Darling?" the woman asked kindly, grinning down at the girl, who nodded wildly.

"Oh yes! I can't wait to go see you work!"

Still grinning in amusement, the woman opened the door and lead Sinopa out, turning around and locking the door after she shut it. They both quickly walked down the streets of Rome, the older woman choosing to duck into some alleyways to save some time, as the little girl already made her late.

"Mama? Is this the way to your work?" Sinopa asked as she accidentally stumbled on some piece of trash, only catching her footing at the last moment.

Glancing behind her, the woman gave a hurried smile and took the girl's hand, tugging her along a bit faster.

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><p>Sinopa Rhiannon Scott and her mother, Adsila Scott had moved to Rome, Italy for Adsila's job for a business. Both of them had been born in America; Oklahoma to be more exact. Adsila is a full-blood Cherokee while Sinopa is half Cherokee, half Sioux-Lakota. Sinopa's father had passed away a few years after Sinopa was born from a heart-attack. Before he passed away, the Scott family lived in San Diego, California. With much encouraging from her friends, Adsila packed up her family and moved to the Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma, where her mother and sister had property there. Sinopa was only four. About a year later, her grandmother died, leaving Adsila, Sinopa, and her aunt as the last living relatives. After a few more years, Salali, Sinopa's aunt, married and moved away to live with her husband in Maine. Salali and Adsila had never been on the best of terms, even as adults. As a result of their dislike for each other, Sinopa never had a chance to get to know her aunt. A little after Sinopa turned seven, Adsila got a job transfer at the engineering company she works at. So the two packed up their bags and moved to Rome, where they had resided for the past few months.<p>

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><p>Sinopa clutched her stuffed fox tighter as she allowed herself to be pulled along, occasionally stumbling on some debris or on her own two feet. Adsila hoisted her purse higher up on her shoulder as she made a sharp turn down another alley, making Sinopa yelp at the sudden direction change. Out of the corner of the girl's eye, a shadowy figure followed them, slipping into the shadows before the girl could get a better look at him.<p>

"Mama! I think someone's following us!" Sinopa called as they rounded another corner, making her mother freeze.

Adsila spun on her heel, scooped Sinopa up, and turned to run the rest of the way only to look down the barrel of a gun. A man dressed in all black and had a mask covering most of his face grinned at the startled and scared look on Adsila's face.

"*Datemi i vostri soldi e il corpo e non voglio farle del male." he growled, moving forward as Adsila backed into a wall in an effort to escape.

Glancing behind her as her back hit the cold stone, Adsila shook her head, stuttering, "I-I don't—"

He rolled his eyes and mumbled something in that same strange language before growling, "Give me your money and I won't hurt her."

He turned his weapon towards the girl in her arms, who just gazed at it curiously.

"Hey Mister? What's that for?" she asked, pointing at the gun with the hand not holding onto her toy.

He stiffened at the question and tightened his hold onto the handle.

"Hush, Darling. Not now," Adsila murmured, gently setting the girl down and reaching for her purse.

The man grinned and kept his weapon pointed at the little girl as her mother dug through her purse with shaking hands. Multiple times the woman fumbled with it, almost dropping it. "Come on woman! I don't have all day!" he snarled, using his thumb to move the hammer back.

Panicking, Adsila whimpered and dug frantically, eventually pulling out a worn leather wallet. During all of this, Sinopa regarded the man with the curiosity of a child, tilting her head to one side as she held her stuffed fox. The man's eyes occasionally flickered to the curious girl before going back to her mother, who was starting to walk forward on shaking legs. Just as the man reached out to take the wallet, it slipped between Adsila's shaking fingers. His hand jerked back as he sneered at the woman.

"Pick it up. You have until the count of three to hand it over, or I'll shoot."

With tears in her own brown eyes, Adsila nodded and stooped to pick it up only to have it fall again.

"One."

He lifted the weapon so that it was pointing to the child's head. Sinopa, who had seen the tears in her mother's eyes, whimpered and clutched her toy in fear.

"Two."

Adsila cried out as she picked the leather up with both of her hands and stood up, forcing her shaking legs to move. When she saw his finger tense on the trigger, she screamed and pushed her beloved child out of the way.

A shot rang out into the morning, startling the people on the streets and causing them to run towards the nearest shelter. Sinopa, who had fallen from her mother's forceful shove, whimpered in pain and slowly got to her feet, tears starting to make their way down her tan cheeks.

She turned around to see her mother lying at her feet, crimson blood flowing out of the open wound in her chest. She stared at her before turning her tearful gaze to the man. His eyes were wide, visible from behind his mask, as if he couldn't believe what he did. He started as the little girl turned towards him, glancing between him and her mother at her feet. He watched her face go from a tearful sorrow to anger as she bared her teeth at him.

"YOU MONSTER!" she wailed, charging at him and kicking him in the shin, making the man howl in pain and hop around.

She turned towards the alley that had the most sound coming from the other end of it and rushed down it, her hot, salty tears blurring her vision. She heard footsteps rushing towards her, and she swerved towards the wall to avoid the person only to crash into someone, knocking her back onto the ground. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her stuffed fox tighter to her chest.

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><p>"Ve~ Come on Germany! You're gonna love this restaurant I found yesterday!" an excitable Italy chirped, tugging a slightly flustered Germany along the sidewalk.<p>

The brunette Italian babbled on about other things as Ludwig glanced around every so often. Somehow the tall blond man sensed something was amiss. Just as Italy got back to the subject of the restaurant, a shrill scream and a gunshot rang out to the morning air, startling both of the nations.

"Ve!~ Let's go Germany!" Italy wailed, trying to turn around and run.

The German caught hold of his arm and dragged him down a nearby alley.

As the two sprinted towards the source of the sound, they heard a high voice scream, "YOU MONSTER!", then a howl of pain.

Moments after, they saw a dark brown figure come around the corner and started pelting towards them. It swerved blindly towards the wall and into a very scared Italian, knocking them both to the ground.

The German only glanced back at the two and sprinted on ahead, pulling out his own gun and cocking it. Behind him, the girl whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her stuffed fox tighter.

Italy groaned in pain and sat up, rubbing his back in an attempt to ease the pain.

"Ve!~ Are you alright?" the Italian asked frantically, spotting Sinopa a short distance away from him.

She only whimpered again and cringed away from him, lifting her head briefly, showing a tear-stained face. She started when she saw Italy sitting there with a confused and concerned expression. Her head flew up, revealing the rest of her face and scared, sad chocolate eyes. Fresh tears started streaming down her cheeks as she wailed loudly and threw herself at Italy, clinging desperately to the front of his jacket. He jumped in shock, but eventually wrapped his arms around the sobbing Sinopa, the force of her sobs shaking his body slightly.

"Shh, hush now. **Va tutto bene... ora sei al sicuro… Shh," Italy murmured, gently rocking back and forth in an effort to calm the girl.

She only whimpered and pressed her face into his chest.

"Ve~ Where's your mama?" he asked quietly, gently stroking Sinopa's hair when the sounds of yelling reached them, gunshots ringing out soon afterwards.

Sinopa's head shot up and her eyes went wide.

"Mama!" she screamed, jumping off of Italy and pelting back down the alley, said Italian following not far behind.

Sinopa slid to a stop beside the crumpled form of Adsila, dropping her fox and sinking to her knees. Behind her, Italy had caught up to her and cried out in alarm, whipping out his cell phone and calling paramedics, speaking rapidly into the phone.

He didn't notice Sinopa crawl over to her mother, getting blood all over her hands and knees as she stopped in front of Adsila.

"Mama?" she asked, taking both of her hands and gently shaking the woman.

Adsila's eyes opened slightly and brown orbs flicked up to the girl's tear-stained face. "Sinopa Rhiannon, you are such a beautiful girl," she whispered, lifting and placing a shaking hand onto the child's cheek, weakly cupping her chin.

"Mama, you're gonna get better, I know it!" Sinopa said, nodding her head as if she was absolutely sure of it.

The child's optimism made the woman smile faintly.

"So strong for such a young age," she breathed before descending into a coughing fit that shook her entire body.

"Mama?" Sinopa asked, her voice rising in panic and fear.

Italy had hung up the phone and was watching the two with tears of his own streaming down his face. Adsila's eyes flickered up to the Italian then back to her daughter's worried face.

"I-I don't want your aunt taking care of you after this. Young man, come here please." Adsila said, lifting her eyes and weakly beckoning Italy over.

He started and rushed to her side but still keeping a respectful distance away.

"I know you don't know me or my daughter at all, and we don't know you, but she seems to be comfortable around you," Adsila said, raising her voice as much as she could.

"Would you do this dying mother a favor and take care of my daughter for me?"

The Italian's eyes widened in surprise.

"I-I-," he started, but saw the pleading look in the woman's eyes.

Wordlessly, he nodded and was surprised when a cool hand touched his cheek.

"Thank you, so much. I hope she behaves for you," the woman murmured then turned back to her daughter.

Sinopa glanced from Italy to her mom.

"But you're gon-," she started, but was cut off by a cool finger on her lips.

"Hush my darling, my precious daughter," Adsila murmured. "Do you remember that song we used to sing every night?"

Sinopa nodded.

"Can you sing it with me?" Adsila asked with a sad smile slipping onto her lips.

"Yes Mama," Sinopa replied, then waited.

_"You'll be in my heart,"_ Adsila started, cupping Sinopa's cheek again and slowly rubbing her thumb over her cheek.

_"Yes, you'll be in my heart,"_ Sinopa continued, her high voice cutely off-key.

_"From this day on,"_

_ "Now, and forever more."_

_ "You'll be in my heart,"_

_ "No matter what they say."_

_ "You'll be in my __heart,"_

_"Always..."_ Sinopa whispered, her voice cracking on the word as she leaned into her mother's touch.

_**"...Always..."**_ Adsila breathed her eyes flickering to the tearful Italian and back before smiling and closing her eyes.

After a few moments, both Sinopa and Italy heard a soft exhale as the woman's tanned hand went limp and fell to the ground.

"Mama? Wake up Mama! Mama!" Sinopa cried, using both her hands to shake Adsila's body to no avail.

Realizing that she wasn't going to wake up, Sinopa wailed and buried her face into her mother's blood-stained shirt. Italy looked on the young girl with sorrow and pity in his amber eyes, gently prying her away from the cooling body when the paramedics rushed onto the scene along with the police.

"NO! MAMA!" she screamed, thrashing around in the Italian's arms in an effort to escape and rejoin her mother.

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><p><em>AN Again, please review! I would love to hear what you guys have to say, be it good or bad! ^^ _

_*"Datemi i vostri soldi e il corpo e non voglio farle del male." - Give me your money and body and i won't hurt her_

_** "Va tutto bene... ora sei al sicuro…," - It's all right ... you're safe..._

_Sinopa and Adsila belong to me, along with the plot. However, Italy and Germany belong to Hidekazu Himaruya! ^^_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N** Thank you coolcat101s, watergoddessskasey, and Ayumi Kudou for reviewing! ^^ It means a lot to me! I'm sorry that I made you guys cry! *hands tissue* Since I've been getting good feedback, I've decided to update sooner then what I originally intended. ^^ So please Read and Review! I am looking forward to hearing some feedback!_

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><p>The police glanced at her and went to work surrounding the area with police tape. One of them bent down and picked the stuffed fox up, slowly approaching the sobbing girl and offered it to her.<p>

"Is this yours honey?" he asked, a forced smile on his lips as he held it up for her to see.

She glanced at it and nodded, reaching out and gently taking it, murmuring her thanks through her tears. The cop turned to Italy and proceeded to question him.

"Is this your daughter?" he asked, taking out a small pad and pen.

Italy shook his head and replied, "No. She's the daughter of the woman there."

He nodded over to the covered body that was being hoisted onto a stretcher. The cop nodded solemnly in understanding and scribbled something on the pad of paper.

"Did you see the incident?" he continued after a few moments, glancing back at the two. Italy shook his head while Sinopa nodded faintly.

"What happened sweetie?" the cop asked kindly, forcing an encouraging smile onto his face.

Behind him the ambulance carrying Adsila took off, heading for the hospital to await the medical examiners.

Sinopa shifted in Italy's arms, resting her head against the man's chest as she held her fox close. After a few moments, she began to tell them what happened, the cop writing down every word she spoke. When she got to the part about her mother getting shot, her eyes welled up with tears again and she buried her head into Italy's chest.

"Shh, it's alright. It's all over now." Italy soothed, petting her hair and gently rocking back and forth.

She eventually calmed down enough to tell them the rest of her story, then how she had ran into Italy, finally finishing with her final moments with her mother. Descending into sobs again, she clutched her stuffed fox and mumbled something in her native language. Both Italy and the cop interrogating them jumped as a tall German stumbled in carrying a limp body. His normally slicked blond hair was falling in front of his eyes and he was panting, beads of sweat sliding down his flushed face.

"Germ-er Ludwig!" Italy called, his amber eyes widening in shock and concern.

The German carried the man to the nearest cop and said, "I zink zis is the man you are looking vor. I vound him fleeing from the scene."

The cop looked startled but nodded and led Germany to the nearest police car, letting him set him in the back.

As the cop glanced from the robber's still form to Germany, the blond said, "He's only unconscious. He tried to shoot me vhen I cornered him."

The cop nodded and shut the door, leading Germany back to Italy and a whimpering Sinopa, who was staring at the door fearfully. The German looked at the child in surprise, his blue eyes flickering from her tan face to Italy.

"Who do ve have here?" Germany asked softly, looking at the Italian man for an answer.

"M-my name i-is Sinopa, sir," the girl answered before Italy, turning her big chocolate eyes up to gaze at the German.

"Where's your-?" Germany began but stopped when he saw the look on Italy's face.

Sinopa only looked up at him in confusion, but returned to the position she had been with her head resting on Italy's chest.

The cop that had been interrogating the two earlier came back and asked Sinopa, "Do you have any other family?"

Remembering what her mother wanted, Sinopa shook her head and said, "No I don't. Mama-" she swallowed thickly. "Mama and I are the only ones in our family."

Sorrow flashed on all three of their faces, but it quickly passed for the sake of the little girl.

"Do you know the way to your house?" the cop continued after writing that down, looking up again.

Sinopa thought for a few moments then nodded.

"I-I think I 'member," she said, shifting in Italy's arms to glance behind him.

The cop nodded and wrote down her address as she told him, putting the pen and pad away afterwards. He moved forward to take Sinopa.

"If you don't mind, I'll take it from here." he said as he placed his hands on the girl's sides. As soon as she felt the gentle touch, Sinopa whimpered and clung to Italy tighter.

"Don't leave me!" she whimpered, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"It's alright, he's gonna help you!" Italy soothed, gently rubbing her back as she clung to his neck.

"NO! Don't leave me!" She wailed suddenly, tightening her grip on the Italian and starting to cry again.

With a sigh, Italy looked at Germany with pleading eyes. The German groaned and ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up more.

"If she vants to stay with Ita-er Feliciano, then let her," he eventually said, earning a small smile from the Italian.

The cop nodded in understanding, but asked, "Honey, are you sure you want to stay with them?"

Sinopa looked up and nodded, laying her head on Italy's chest again. With a sigh, the cop nodded again and moved to talk to his boss about the situation. Italy and Germany both watched him leave then turned their gazes to the little girl. She was snuggled into Italy's chest with her large brown eyes drooping. The Italian smiled gently at the child and gently started to rock her.

"Are you sure about this Italia?" Germany asked softly, his gaze never leaving the girl.

"Si. I made her mother a promise to look after her, and I will." Italy replied, glancing up at the taller man with an uncharacteristic determination in his amber eyes.

"What about Romano? What will he say about it?" Germany continued, slowly reaching over and gently petting Sinopa's soft hair.

The girl sighed and shifted slightly in Italy's arms, making the man jerk his hand back in surprise. The Italian sighed and smiled softly down at the girl, then at the timid German in front of him.

"I don't care what Fratello thinks. She needs me-us-and I'm more than willing to raise her, even if I have to do it myself."

Germany looked a bit surprised at the determination and confidence in the normally timid and cowardly Italian.

"Do you know how expensive a child is Italy? Both of our economies aren't in the best of shape right now. How are we going to raise her with so little money?" Germany persisted, blushing slightly at what his statement implied.

Italy glanced up in surprise at that statement then grinned widely at Germany.

"So Germany wants to help?" he asked, grinning at the German's flustered face.

Germany blushed, but as he gazed at the sleeping child, his eyes softened and he petted her again.

"Ja. I suppose I do." He replied softly, making the Italian giggle at the almost motherly look on the stoic German's face.

They both looked up as the cop from earlier and his superior approached the three.

"Alright, we're going to let you take her. I need your names, address, and phone numbers in case we need to contact you." The cop said, holding out a pad of paper and a pen.

Italy nodded and carefully handed the sleeping girl to a surprised Germany, taking the pen and starting to write both his and Germany's information down. Feeling the change in bodies, Sinopa's eyes opened drowsily. She tilted her head up to see it was the German holding her, not the Italian. Feeling her move, Germany glanced down to have his sky blue eyes meet with her large chocolate eyes. They held each others gaze for a few seconds before Sinopa broke it, closing her eyes and snuggling into the German's broad chest. He blinked, a bit flustered, then gently tightened his hold on the small girl, feeling an unfamiliar emotion flare up in his chest.

Italy glanced up to check on the two and grinned at the soft look on the German's face as he gazed down at the girl. There was a slight hint of a blush on his cheeks as he gently swayed, like a sturdy oak sheltering its inhabitants in a gentle breeze. After a few more moments, the Italian went back to writing and handed the paper back to the cop.

The cop glanced over it and pocketed it, saying, "Thank you. We'll be over when we find out where the little one lives and bring by some clothes for her. You three are free to go."

With a nod, Italy went back to Germany and nudged him, making him jump slightly.

"We can go now. They're going to come by with some extra clothes for her." Italy murmured, gently stroking the girl's soft hair.

Germany nodded and shifted the girl slightly to make it easier to hold her as he followed Italy out of the alley and onto the sidewalk, where they proceeded to head back to the Italian's home. Sinopa only grumbled and snuggled deeper into the German's arms, making him smile slightly. Soon enough the Italian and the German were walking up Italy's driveway to his home, the Italian rushing forward to open the door for Germany and Sinopa. He closed the door after they had gone inside and followed Germany to one of the guest bedrooms where he gently set her down. From the silence throughout the house, the elder Vargas wasn't home; more than likely at Spain's house. They both were thankful for the silence, where their little charge could sleep in peace. As soon as Germany's arms left Sinopa, she whimpered in protest and sleepily opened her eyes again.

"Shh, go back to sleep, bella" Italy soothed, smoothing her hair and gently kissing her forehead.

Without a complaint, her eyes slid shut and all that could be heard was the sound of her breathing. Italy gently removed her shoes and set them beside the door before returning to Germany's side. He nudged the blond and took his arm, pulling him out of the room, where he left the door open partway. They moved to the dining room table, where they sat themselves down. They sat in silence before Italy broke it.

"Are you hungry Germany? We never got a chance to eat breakfast." he asked, getting up and moving to the kitchen without a reply from the German.

Soon enough, the house was filled with the sound and smell of food being prepared as Italy made his famous pasta. After a while, there was a knocking at the door, in which Germany moved to answer it. When he opened the door, he wasn't too surprised to see the cop from earlier holding a plastic bag filled with, presumably, clothes.

"Ciao. This is most of the clothes the girl owns. I hope this is sufficiant enough until we could get her into a foster family." He said, handing the German the bag of clothes with a nod.

Germany took the bag and thanked him. The cop leaned against the wooden pillar of the porch and sighed, taking off his hat and wiping his forehead before replaceing it.

"Poor girl didn't deserve this in the slightest," He said with a sad smile towards the German.

"Nein, she didn't. No child deserves this..." Germany agreed, trailing off with a sigh.

"Where is she? Sleeping?" The cop asked, seeing a nod from Germany.

"Ah, well I should be going then. One of us is going to visit in a few days, to see how she's coping. Until then"

The cop left with a wave, spinning on his heel to walk back to his car. Germany watched him as he sped off, going back inside and setting the bag on the coffee table in the living room.

"Ve~ Germany, who was that?" Italy called from the kitchen above the sounds of cooking food.

"It was a *polizist, that's all. He brought by some clothes for the girl; Sinopa I believe her name is." Germany replied, walking into the kitchen to get some plates and forks to set the table with.

"Alright," Italy said, gracefully pouring the tomato-based sauce on top of a platter of pasta noodles. "Poor bambina"

Germany nodded in agreement and set the table before the Italian set their breakfast on the table. They set out an extra plate and fork out for the girl, should she wake up while their eating. When the two sat down they ate in relitive silence, unusual for the energetic Italian who was normally talking rapidly about what he wanted to do that day or about something that happened. Today, however, he was silent and glancing at the hall every so often. Both the German and the Italian jumped as the front door swung open and the elder Vargas stepped in, closing it behind him.

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><p><em><strong>AN** Again, please, please review! I love getting reviews, and I do want to hear what you guys have to say! ^^ _

_*polizist- cop; police man_

_Sinopa and the plot belongs to me! __Italy, Germany, and Hetalia belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N** Thank you watergoddesskasey, memoranda, Ayumi Kudou, and JuleBeilschmidt for reviewing last chapter! ^^ You guys are awesome! Well, I'm posting this as New Years gift to you all, so Happy New Years! ^^ I'm sorry if Romano is a bit OOC in here! T_T Well, please read and review! I love hearing from you guys! ^^_

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><p>He glanced around the room and scowled at the sight of the German sitting at the table.<p>

"What the hell are you doing here, Potato Bastard?" He all but yelled, his face turning slightly red from irritation.

"Fratello, keep it down please!" Italy pleaded but was shot a glare from his brother.

"What the hell is the Potato Bastard doing here in my house?" Romano growled, glaring at the German with a look of pure hatred.

"It's my house too Fratello! I can invite him over if I want to!" Italy stated, his amber eyes narrowing in uncharacteristic annoyance.

Germany glanced down the hallway when he heard a faint whimper coming from it, his brows furrowing slightly.

"What the hell is with you today? You're acting like the Potato Bastard!" Romano yelled, balling up his fists and galring at both his brother and the German.

"Fratello! Keep it down please!" Italy whimpered, glancing down the hallway in worry when he too heard another whimper.

"Why the hell are you telling me to be quiet? It's not like anyone else is her-" Romano started but was cut of by a terrified scream, making him jump while Germany and Italy rushed down the hall.

He quickly followed them to one of the guest bedrooms where he found Italy comforting Sinopa, who was crying and shaking.

"I-I t-thought you h-had left me! I-I was so s-scared that I-I was all a-alone and that h-h-he had—," the small girl whimpered, clinging to the Italian as she sobbed into his chest, the Italian stroking her back.

"Shh, it's alright now, I'm here, along with Ludwig," He murmured, rocking the hiccuping girl back and forth.

Romano only stood in the doorway, flabbergasted beyond belief at the sight of the small girl in his house.

"Feli, a word…now!" Romano hissed, making all three of them glance at him, Sinopa noticing for the first time.

Glancing from his brother to Sinopa, Italy nodded and gently set Sinopa back on the bed. She whimpered and looked after him as he moved out of the room with his brother, looking up when the German took Italy's place on the bed.

Italy shut the door gently and turned to Romano, who had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Who is that?" The elder Vargas hissed, nodding towards the closed door.

"Her name is Sinopa, Fratello. I told you to keep it down; she was taking a siesta!" Italy replied, clasping his hands in front of him.

Romano glared at Italy and continued, "Why is she here? Shouldn't she be with her *genitori?"

At this, Italy sighed sadly and furrowed his brows.

"Well," he started then proceeded to tell Romano what had happened to the girl, having to bite his lip in places to keep his tears at bay.

As Sinopa's story unfolded, Romano's face grew somber.

"So you're telling me you're planning on taking care of this girl, and you didn't even discuss this with me?" Romano deadpanned at the end of Sinopa's story, earning a nod from his brother.

"Si. And I am going to keep my promise to that poor woman, with or without your blessing Fratello." Italy stated firmly, looking at his brother straight in his eyes defiantly.

Taken aback a bit, Romano looked at the ground for a few minutes, thinking about his next choice of words.

Finally he looked up again and said, "As long as you know what you're getting yourself into Feli, she can stay. But I expect you to be responsible for anything that she does under this roof."

A grin slid onto Italy's face as he hugged his brother tightly, earning a "CHIGI!" and quietly slipped back into the room. After a bit, Romano gave in and followed him, partly curious to what the girl is like. She was sitting up in the bed and quietly talking to Germany.

"What's your names?" She asked, sniffling and holding her fox gently in her lap while gazing up at the adults.

"Ve~ I'm Feliciano, but you can call me Feli. That is Ludwig and this is my big brother, Lovino!" Italy said, using their human names and pointing to each person in turn.

Sinopa smiled faintly and said, "My full name is Sinopa Rhiannon Scott."

Italy smiled and affectionately patted her head while he said, "That's a really pretty name."

Sinopa blushed and giggled softly, hiding her face in her toy shyly. She then got over her embarrassment and looked up again, this time looking at Romano curiously.

"Is it okay if I live here?" She asked, directing the question to everyone, but still staring at Romano.

At this, they all hesitated. Italy and Germany glanced at each other then at Romano before coming to a silent agreement.

"Do you want to stay here Sinopa?" Germany asked cautiously, his brows furrowing slightly.

Sinopa took a few moments to think over her words, reminding the younger Italian and German of a certain Asian country. Finally she glanced back up and nodded.

"Why?" It was Romano that asked this time, drawing the girl's gaze again.

She paused again for a moment before saying, "Well, I like it here. It seems happy and friendly, not like where I live. Mama was always at work, so I had to have a babysitter, and she wasn't too nice. You, Feli and Luddy all seem really nice and kind and it smells like you make good food, too. And," she turned to gaze at Italy and Germany, "You guys saved me from that scary man. I would think people who do that have a good heart and is really nice to others Plus, Mama made Feli p-promise to take c-care of m-me"

Sinopa bit her lip as tears started to well up in her eyes at the thought of her mother. She buried her face in her toy again while clutching its soft fur against her chest.

"Shh, it's alright. We'll see what we can do. Are you absolutely sure you want to stay here?" Italy soothed, crouching beside the girl and pulling her into a hug, gently stroking her back.

She nodded against his chest and took hiccuping breaths in an effort to calm herself again. After a few minutes, she looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you," she murmured with a sigh, resting her head on Italy's chest and listening to his heartbeat.

Italy only smiled softly and gently kissed her forehead, making the girl giggle softly. She yawned and grudgingly pulled herself away from Italy's warmth to lay on the pillows again.

"Ve~ Go ahead and take a siesta, bella. We'll be out here when you wake up." Italy murmured, gently petting the girl's hair and standing up.

"Alright then," she mumbled, her eyes already starting to droop as she yawned widely.

Italy chuckled and led the other two out of the room, Germany leaving the door open a bit. Sinopa watched them leave the room then sighed, craning her neck to look out of the window. The sun was shining brightly as it neared its zenith, the silhouette of birds fluttering from tree to tree blocking the light for split seconds at a time. She sat up and kneeled on her bed so that she could see over the windowsill. Blinking in the bright light, she folded her arms on the warm wood and rested her head on it.

'Mama would've loved this,' she thought, gazing at the Italian's beautiful garden.

With a sigh, she lifted her head slightly to free up her jaw and gazed at the bright morning. She and Adsila had forgotten to uphold their little tradition of singing a song for the morning in their native Cherokee language that morning.

"Maybe that's why all these bad things happened," she mused softly then closed her eyes as she tried to remember the lyrics.

Finally she opened them and pulled a smile on her face, smiling up at the bright blue sky.

"**We n' de ya ho, We n' de ya ho," she began softly tapping the beat of the drum out on the windowsill.

"We n' de ya, We n' de ya Ho ho ho ho, He ya ho, He ya ho, Ya ya ya," she continued before repeating, closing her eyes and bobbing her head in time with the music.

The girl continued on tapping the beat and repeated the verse slightly louder than the last one, just as her mother taught her. In her mind's eye and ear she heard her mother singing it with her, echoing a phrase behind the girl while kneeling beside her. She opened her eyes again at the end of the last phrase but continued to tap out the beat. Feeling a sudden chill in the room, she glanced to her side and saw the faint outline of a woman sitting beside her. She took a moment to stare at it and the figure's face turned towards her, revealing it to be Adsila.

"Mama," she whispered, reaching out to touch it with one of her small hands.

Adsila's almost transparent features looked both sad and proud as she gazed upon the girl, a sad smile stretching across her blue lips. Right before Sinopa could touch Adsila's spirit; there was a startled cry from outside the door. The girl jumped and her hand closed on empty air. The girl glanced around to the door to see a startled and frightened-looking Romano, his amber green eyes wide as he took in the scene before him. Glancing back at the space that previously occupied the spirit of Adsila, she sighed at the empty space and lowered her hand, placing it on her lap. She bowed her head in shame as she felt tears well up in her eyes again, feeling a sharp pain in her chest.

"I miss you Mama," she whimpered in Cherokee, clutching at her belly as the pain grew sharper.

She faintly heard a voice mumble something then soft footsteps before she felt a gentle touch on her back.

"Hey, are you alright?" The same voice asked, a bit of a lower tone than the one she was used to hearing.

Not caring who it was, she turned and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his middle and crying into his chest. She heard a startled "Chigi!" as the body underneath her tensed up. Romano relaxed after a few moments as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around the shaking girl, like he seen his brother do. She mumbled something into his shirt as she tightened her hold around the Italian. He flushed slightly at the action but started rocking back and forth in an effort to calm her again. It worked after a few minutes, her sobs reducing to uneven hiccups then to gentle, even breaths as she fell asleep again. Romano gently laid her down and stood up again, retreating out of the room quickly with a blush still on his face.

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><p><em><strong>AN** I hope you guys liked it! ^^ Looks like little Sin has some hidden gifts! I couldn't resist having Romano be the one comforting her at the end part here! ^^ Well, please, please review! Reviewing makes for faster updates, you know! lol ^^_

_*genitori - parents_

_** This is a really pretty song in Cherokee. I highly suggest listening to it. I remember hearing my grandmother singing it in the mornings, so I wanted to put a part of my culture (I'm Native myself) into the story, to make it a bit more authentic. If you want to listen to it, search for "Cherokee Morning Song" on Youtube; You should find it. _

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N Thank you bandgeek5100, GhostCalumon, Ayumi Kudou, otaco, and ...Me for reviewing! ^^ You guys are freaking amazing! Well, this is the fourth chapter to Bring on the Rain, and I really hope you guys enjoy it! ^^ Please, please Read and Review; I love hearing feedback from you guys! ^^_

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><p>"Fratello! Is everything alright with Sinopa?" Italy called when Romano went back into the living room.<p>

"Yes! Now leave me alone!" He snapped, stalking to the kitchen to make himself something to eat.

Italy only looked worriedly down the hall and continued eating the pasta from earlier.

Seeing this, Germany only laid a hand on the Italian's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.

"She's going to be alright," the blond murmured with a nod.

Sighing, Italy nodded and quickly ate the rest of his food, standing up and taking Germany's empty plate before carrying them to the sink.

"Hey Germany, when's the next world meeting?" Italy asked as he came back out, sitting back down at the table.

Germany grunted and glanced at the ceiling, as if trying to remember something.

"America's hosting it, and I do believe he set it for about three weeks from now," Germany replied with an exasperated sigh, "I also believe he said that everyone has to go, including both halves of countries."

An annoyed growl came from the kitchen at that, but the two friends ignored it.

"So if Sinopa stays until then, then we have to take her with us?" Italy asked, turning towards Germany who nodded.

"It seems to appear that way"

"And how are we gonna explain that?" Romano called from the kitchen, the smell of cooking pizza wafting out as he walked back out with a scowl on his face.

"I don't know Fratello. I suppose we'll deal with it when we get there." Italy said, glancing back at his brother.

Romano crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight to one leg.

"And are you planning to adopt her?" he continued, "Because if you are, how are you going to afford it?"

Sighing, Italy looked at the table and fiddled with his thumbs.

"Ve~ Fratello, I am planning to adopt her, and I will find a way to cover the expenses. Don't worry about it, okay?" he replied, glancing up and giving Romano a bright smile.

Romano only lifted a thin eyebrow at his younger sibling.

"Also, how do you know she's a citizen? For all we know she could be an illegal immigrant."

Italy's amber eyes flashed in annoyance as his smile faded into a frown.

"Give it a rest Lovino! It's only the first day; we can continue this tomorrow!" Italy huffed, standing up and leaving the table.

"And where the hell are you going? We're not finished!" Romano called as Italy started down the hall.

"I'm-a gonna take a siesta!"

After a bit, they heard a door open then close, leaving the German and a fuming Italian in the dining room. With an annoyed growl, Romano went back into the kitchen to check on the pizza.

"Oi, Potato Bastard, as long as you stay out of the way, I guess you can stay. But only of the sake of the girl's state of mind." Romano snapped from the kitchen, taking Germany by surprise.

Deciding not to push his luck with the temperamental Italian, Germany nodded and moved to the couch when Romano brought his pizza out to the table. Reaching for the remote, the blonde switched on the TV and quickly turned the volume down so that he could just hear it. He could occasionally feel the Italian's glare as said Italian finished up his food.

Grabbing his jacket, Romano put it on as he walked back out the door without a word to the German sitting on his couch.

When the door clicked shut, Germany let out a sigh of relief and carefully took off his heavy combat boots. Softly placing them by the front door, Germany reclined on the couch and laid his head against the cushions, falling asleep after a while of watching the TV program.

The three slept late into the day, taking a much-needed rest from the stressful events of the morning. The first one to wake up was, surprisingly, Sinopa, who quietly padded out of her room and into the living room.

She quietly giggled at the sight of a sleeping Germany and then turned her attention to the left-over pizza Romano left on the table.

Standing on a chair, she quietly got a slice for herself, gazing curiously at it before taking a bite. Humming her satisfaction, she quickly finished up that slice and reached for another one. Soon she finished what was left of the pizza-which there wasn't much left over-and padded over to the couch, carefully climbing up onto the cushions.

She froze when Germany shifted and sighed in relief when he settled back down, carefully reaching over and grabbing the remote from the coffee table. She glanced back at the German before flipping channels until she got to the cartoon channel.

For the next twenty minutes she curled up beside the German and quietly giggled at the TV, not understanding most of it. Hearing soft footsteps, she glanced up at a drowsy Italy making his way down the hall.

"Oh! Hello bella, I didn't know you were awake ~Ve," He said, a bright smile slipping onto the Italian's face when he saw Sinopa.

A small smile slipped onto her face as she carefully got down from the couch and padded towards her favorite Italian. Seeing her dirty hands and face, Italy picked her up and the bag from the coffee table and took her to the bathroom.

"Let's get you cleaned up, bella!" he declared brightly, humming a cheerful song as Sinopa giggled in his arms.

He set her down again when they reached the room and closed the door before turning to run the bath water. Sinopa gazed around the bathroom curiously as Italy checked the water.

The walls were a soft white with brown accents decorating the top of them. It was simply decorated; with porcelain white sink and pale pink flowers on top of the counter.

She felt a tug on her shirt and automatically lifted her arms above her head as her shirt was pulled over her head. She undressed the rest of the way and Italy carefully lifted her into the warm water, inspecting her for injuries. He found scrapes on her palms as she rubbed them together with soap, the girl cringing at the stinging.

As he helped her clean up, Italy sung various songs in Italian, Sinopa listening with curiosity to the foreign words. Grabbing a fluffy towel from the rack beside him, Italy gently lifted her out of the cooling water and started drying her, earning giggles from the girl.

"There! Now you're both clean and pretty, bella!" Italy declared with a bright smile, tugging the towel back to reveal Sinopa's tanned face.

She giggled and gazed up at him with bright eyes, a grin on her face.

"Thank you!" She chirped, wrapping her arms around him in the first tear-less hug.

He smiled softly and moved a hand up to her upper back, gently pressing the girl against his body. He carefully stood up and grabbed the plastic bag with the hand that was previously on Sinopa's back before heading to the girl's sunny room.

He set her on her rumpled bed, towel and all, and carefully pulled her clothes out of the bag, laying them on her bed.

"You have so many pretty clothes!" Italy exclaimed, pulling out a sun dress, "Pretty clothes for a pretty girl!"

He grinned at her as he laid it right beside her, taking time to gently pat her damp head. Even when it was wet, there was a few strands of dark brown hair that stood up on the top of her head, curling slightly towards her ear.

She giggled quietly as she watched him exclaim over every article of clothing he pulled out. After the last piece of clothing was pulled out, Italy stepped back and ran an eye over the selection before glancing at Sinopa.

"I think you'd look so cute in this!" He finally declared, picking up a dress and laying it beside Sinopa, who looked at it curiously.

It was a short sleeved light blue dress with a soft lavender skirt that looked like it'd hang a bit below the knees.

Nodding her agreement, the girl picked up a spare set of panties and slipped them on while Italy turned his back to give her a bit of privacy. Afterwards, he helped her pull the dress over her head and settle it over her body.

When Sinopa brushed her right side of bangs behind her ear, Italy noticed the pale scar stretching across her right cheek.

"Ve~ Where did you get that scar?" He asked, gently reaching out and tracing the line marring her otherwise cute face.

"Oh, I fell out of a tree when I was younger," she replied, shying away from Italy's gentle touch then lifting her hand to trace over it.

"I hit my head on a big rock at the bottom and I 'member seeing a man with blue eyes—kinda like Luddy's eyes, but different—and glasses rushing towards me before everything went dark. The next thing I 'member is waking up in the clinic with these weird things on my cheek. I think Mama called them 'stitches' or something like that. I also 'member her looking so scared and thanking the man a lot, since he was also in my clinic room. He had a loud voice and hair like sunshine, I think," she explained, furrowing her brows and tilting her head to one side as she talked. [1]

Italy listened silently and drew her into a hug afterwards, earning a surprised squeak from her.

"Ve~ I'm glad you're okay now, bella. How long ago did this happen?" He asked, placing her back onto the bed after a few moments.

"Umm," she murmured, glancing up at the ceiling in thought, "Prob'bly a few months ago; right before we moved here, I think."

Italy nodded and moved to fold up her remaining clothes before placing them back in the bag. She watched him for a few moments then finally turned her attention to the room around her for the first time.

The walls were a soft warm brown with hardly anything on them. Two dark wooden tables flanked either side of the twin-sized bed she was sitting on, which was placed underneath the large window. The curtains that hung on either side of the window were a dark emerald green with minute flowers decorating the bottom.

"Hey, Feli?" she started, causing him to look up at her again, "Can this be my room from now on?"

He looked slightly surprised before a smile slipped onto his face.

"Of course it can, bella! You like it?" He replied brightly, reaching over and gently patting her head.

She nodded and smiled up at him, sliding off of the bed with ease.

"Can we go wake up Luddy now?" she asked, taking Italy's hand and dragging him out of the door without waiting for an answer.

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><p><em>AN ^^ I really hope you guys liked this chapter! ^^ Again, please review! I love reviews! ^^_

_[1] Can anyone guess who I'm talking about here? It's part of my headcannon, but I'm not gonna reveal it until later. ^^_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N Thank you watergoddesskasey, Hungary, snakeeyeslover2, coolcat101s, Ayumi Kudou, TheAwesomePrussia , bandgeek5100, GhostCalumon, and Yamigirl for reviewing last chapter! I freaking love you guys! ^^ Well, this is the fifth chapter of Bring on the Rain, and I really hope you guys like it! ^^ Please please Read and Review! I love hearing feedback!_

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><p>The blond German was still passed out on the couch, his soft snores getting drowned out by the obnoxious noises coming from the TV. With a quiet giggle, she released the Italian's hand and carefully climbed up onto the couch beside Germany.<p>

Sitting on her knees, she placed both of her hands onto his muscled arm and shook him, calling, "Wake up Uncle Luddy! Wake up!"

Italy started in surprise at the title the little girl gave the German. Germany's eyes flew open as he sat up abruptly, nearly knocking the girl off of the couch.

Taking a deep breath he glanced around the room and spotted the giggling girl, who was covering her mouth with one of her hands.

"Vat did you call me?" The German inquired while running a hand in an effort to smooth back his hair.

"I called you Uncle Luddy!" She piped with a smile, gleefully soaking in the two adults' shocked looks.

"Why?" Italy asked, kneeling down in front of the girl.

"'Cuz If you're going to take care of me, and you two look like good friends, wouldn't that make Luddy my uncle?" She replied swinging her legs gently so she wouldn't hit the Italian.

The adults exchanged a look then Italy smiled, gently ruffling her hair.

"Ve~ you are such a smart girl bella!" He cooed, making Sinopa giggle and bat away his hand playfully.

"Stop, you'll mess up my hair!" She cried, leaning away from the Italian's playful touch, smoothing her hair back down with a small hand.

With a wide grin, Italy complied and grinned up at Germany, who sighed in expiration.

"Two of a kind," the blond German mumbled, watching the two giggle on the ground before him.

When Sinopa gazed out the window, turning her back to the two adults, Germany noticed her smile fade and a sad look in her brown eyes. She mumbled something in a language he couldn't understand then sighed, getting to her feet and padding to the sunny window.

Both Italy and Germany looked after her with worried looks; Italy's more pronounced on his face. The little girl had only been in their lives for a few short hours, but both the Italian and German had grown fond of her.

The adults glanced at each other before Italy got to his feet and silently moved towards Sinopa, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She glanced up at him and tried to smile through her silent tears, but failed.

"I miss her." Sinopa murmured as she was swept up into the Italian's arms, burying her face into the crook of his neck and wrapping her arms around him.

"Shh, I know you miss her bella. But she's still here with you, looking down at you with a smile on her face. She's in Heaven right now, bella; in a better place." Italy soothed, gently wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb and smiling gently at her.

"I know she is. She's with the Great Spirit and our ancestors that have passed before us. That's where Grandmamma, Grandpapa and Daddy are." Sinopa replied, nodding her head as she turned to gaze at Italy.

Said Italian looked a bit confused at her first statement and furrowed his brows slightly.

"Ve~ you don't believe in God?" He asked her in surprise hoisting her up a bit more.

Sinopa tilted her head in confusion before finally realizing what exactly he was asking.

"Nope. Daddy did, and tried to get Mama and I to believe, but Mama told him that she wants to uphold the old ways and believe in the Great Spirit and teach it to me so I could pass it on." Sinopa replied, nodding firmly as if she was absolutely sure on this.

Italy and Germany met each others confused expressions; they've never heard of such a thing before.

"Vhere vere you born?" Germany asked, getting up off of the couch and moving into the girl's line of sight.

"I was born on the reservation in Oklahoma," Sinopa stated proudly, and seeing the confused faces of her care takers she added, "Oklahoma's in America; ya know, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave?"

Germany sighed, shook his head at the typical American reply and made a mental note to ask America about his Native peoples later.

The girl giggled softly at the German's reaction and leaned over to playfully bat as his scraggly hair much like a kitten would. Italy giggled when Germany only stood still while the girl amused herself playing with his hair, a silly grin spreading across the Italian's face. Satisfied, Sinopa sat back and giggled to herself, leaning her head on Italy's shoulder again.

"I'm going to wash up." Germany mumbled before walking off in the direction of the bathroom.

Sinopa and Italy looked after him and grinned at each other once he was out of sight.

"So bella, are you in school?" Italy asked, sitting down in Germany's spot and hoisted Sinopa onto his lap.

"Yes, but I don't really like it very much. It's really different from my old school." Sinopa replied gloomily, her eyes glazing over as if she was remembering something.

Italy shifted slightly, bringing the girl out of her thoughts.

"Ve~ you're in Kindergarten, right?" He asked, tilting his head to one side as he tried to remember how the school system is set up.

Sinopa nodded gloomily, huffed and crossed her arms.

"I feel like I've been held back a grade; I was in 1st grade in Oklahoma! Now I'm back to being a Kindergartener…" Sinopa stated dully, a cute pout gracing her face.

Italy let her sulk for a few moments before tickling her sides, making her shriek in laughter.

"Ve~ you'll get used to it, don't worry bella," He reassured her after she calmed down, a confident grin painting itself over his lips.

"Maybe," she replied. "But I don't know much Italian, and I'm having trouble learning it. And some of the other kids are mean to me! I don't want to go back there!"

A frown crossed Sinopa's pretty face as she thought about the school's bullies and their taunts she couldn't understand. Concerned, Italy brought her into a hug, in which she returned.

"It'll be alright, I promise. You don't have to go back for a little bit while we get this entire mess sorted out, alright? In the meantime, Lovino and I can help you learn Italian! It's not very hard to learn, you just need the right teachers!" Italy cooed, pulling away enough to give Sinopa a bright smile, which she timidly returned.

Sighing, Sinopa laid her head on Italy's chest and gazed out at the sunny afternoon, thinking about things that once were.

Sensing the change in the girl's mood, Italy sat quietly and let her brood, gently lifting a hand and petting her silky hair.

"I wish things could go back to what they were before" she murmured, closing her eyes as she felt a painful lump in her throat.

Italy shifted slightly and paused in his petting.

"That's not how things work, though. Everything changes. Even the rocks aren't immune to change, bella. Change is part of life." Italy replied, just as quietly, moving his hand lower to gently pet her back.

"I hate change! Why can't things just stay the same? I want things to go back to what they were before Daddy died!" Sinopa suddenly cried, jerking away from Italy's touch and sliding off his lap.

She fisted her hands and stared at the carpet, angry tears brimming in her eyes.

"But bella, change is a part of how life goes. Don't you think that it'd be really boring if every day didn't bring something exciting to your life? Like today, I never would have thought that someone as special and beautiful as you would ever come into my life. But here you are! I'd like to think that God, or the Great Spirit, meant for this to happen! Don't you think that meeting me, meeting Ludwig; is a good change, bella?" Italy soothed, sliding off of the couch and kneeling in front of her, placing his hands softly onto her shoulders.

Sinopa remained silent for a few minutes. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around the Italian and cried softly into his shoulder.

"But Mama didn't have to die!" She whimpered, her small hands fisting the cloth beneath them.

Italy sighed and held back his own tears at the girl's distress, moving to gently pet her hair again.

"Shh, it's true she didn't have to. But she did it to save you! You meant more to her then her own life. She loved you so much that she willingly gave her life for you!" He soothed, pressing a kiss into her hair then, after a while, resumed his petting.

"I want to be part of a happy family again. I want to be happy." Sinopa whispered, her face reflecting the pain in her heart.

"You will be bella. I promise you this." Italy whispered, more to himself than to her.

When Sinopa had calmed down some, Italy pulled back and carefully wiped her tears with his thumb, offering her a smile.

"Smile bella! I'm sure your mama told you to always smile!" Italy chirped, using two fingers to stretch her lips into a makeshift smile.

It worked; Sinopa giggled weakly and batted his hands away.

"See! You look much prettier when you smile!" Italy grinned as Sinopa's smile got bigger.

Looking around at the TV, Sinopa picked up the remote and shut it off. Tilting his head, Italy watched Sinopa explore her soon-to-be home, finally discovering the radio and switching it on.

Static filled the room and Sinopa quickly turned the tuner knob to a station she and her mom often listened to. A 80s rock song filled the air, making the girl grin and bob her head in time to the beat.

"Ve~ you like the 80s?" Italy asked curiously, a bit shocked that she didn't listen to the popular music.

"Oh yes! I love 80s music! I love listening to Mama's music!" Sinopa chirped, now moving her body to the music.

As Italy both watched Sinopa dance and listened to the lyrics of the song, it occurred to him that Sinopa shouldn't really be listening to this kind of music.

_"Pour some sugar on me! Oh, I can't get enough! I'm hot, sticky sweet from my hands to my feet!" _Sinopa sang happily, closing her eyes and letting her body do whatever it wanted.

Right at that moment, Germany walked out fully dressed and drying his hair with a towel.

"Italy! Vat are you letting her listen to?" Germany yelped as he heard her sing that line, his eyes going wide in shock.

"Aah! She's the one that wanted to listen to it!" Italy cried, jumping up and waving his hands in panic.

Rolling his eyes, Germany went over and shut the radio off with an audible _click _.

"Hey! I was listening to that!" Sinopa cried out, abruptly stopping her dancing to glare at the German.

"Kinder [1] like you shouldn't be listening to such music." Germany replied, turning around to lecture Italy only to hear the_click _of the radio again and music flooding the room.

He spun on his heel to see Sinopa dancing again, mouthing the lyrics to a different song. When the main chorus came on, Sinopa took a breath and started singing along.

_"I Love Rock 'n' roll, so put another dime in the jukebox baby! I love rock 'n' roll, so come and take your time and dance with me!" _

With a sigh, Germany gave up, shook his head and watched Sinopa dance to the song, a huge grin on her face.

"She seems to be coping well." Germany murmured to Italy, who shook his head.

"She just got done with another breakdown a little before you got out of the shower."

Sighing, Germany glanced back at the girl with a frown on his face.

"I have a feeling she's trying to hide how she really feels." Italy continued, biting his lip and "Vee"-ing worriedly.

"Perhaps. Ve should take her to see a therapist, to get her checked out." Germany agreed as the song changed and Sinopa sat down on the ground to take a short rest.

The strong voice of Pat Benatar filled the room, causing Sinopa to grin and lean back on her hands with her eyes closed, mouthing along. This time, however, she didn't sing along, only listening to the woman sing. When the song changed again, Sinopa got up and shut the radio off with a _click _.

She glanced out of the window again and smiled softly at the greenery outside.

"Hey Feli? Can we go outside?" She asked, turning towards the adults after a few moments, her smile getting slightly brighter

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><p><em>AN Again, I really hope you guys liked it! ^^ Please review! Reviews are awesome! Like Prussia! lol ^^_

_[1] Kinder - children_

_Songs used: _

_'Pour Sugar on Me' by Def Leppard _

_'I Love Rock 'N' Roll' by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! I really hope you guys forgive me! But I got caught up in other stories, mainly ones I have to write for my creative writing class. I'm probably not gonna post them, because I don't think it's good enough for . Aaanyway, Thank you so much for reviewing! ^^ You have no idea how happy your reviews make me! ^^ Please read and review this chapter! ^^_

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><p>Italy blinked and grinned widely, scooping her up and heading towards the door.<p>

"Sure bella! Let's go explore the garden! Are you coming Ludwig?" He chirped, glancing behind him at the German curiously.

With a sigh and a faint smile, Germany followed them, shutting the door behind him. The three went around the house to the back and entered the vast gardens that the Vargas brothers call their own. Sinopa gasped at the wide expanse of land, filled with all sorts of shades of green and a multitude of other colors. In the far corner the color red dominated a good section of it as almost-ripe tomatoes hung on the vine. Glistening ponds of water dotted the garden, often flanked by a statue or two and various trees. Long cattails swayed in sync with the long grass in the gentle breeze. A multitude of birds chirped and sung from the shelter of the trees, occasionally flitting from one to the other with a flutter of feathers.

Italy grinned widely at Sinopa's stunned expression and asked, "Ve~ do you like it, bella?"

It took her a few moments to tear her gaze from the gardens to nod wildly and cry, "Oh yes! Dear spirits I love it!"

Her brown eyes sparkled with new life and a huge excited grin lit up her face. Italy silently cheered in victory and gently set her down onto the ground, where she immediately dug her toes into the cool grass.

"Ve~ Go ahead, bella, go explore!" Italy encouraged, gently pushing her forward with a hand.

Not needing to be told twice, Sinopa tore across the grass, giggling in glee.

"Ve!~ Wait for me!" Italy called, chasing after her, making Germany groan in expiration.

"Why me?" He muttered then started after the Italian and the gleeful girl, who had stopped underneath a weeping willow tree hanging over a pond.

Sinopa panted and sunk to the ground, her back against the rough wood of the willow. She gazed happily into the water of the pond, spying little fish swimming in the clear blue shallows. As she leaned forward to get a better look at them, she jerked back as a flying object flittered in front of her face.

It was a tiny hummingbird with a sapphire blue belly, teal and white wings, and a black and white tail. It hovered in front of her face, staring at her; its beady black eyes boring into her wide chocolate ones. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the bird jerked, as if startled, and zoomed away right as Feliciano pushed away some of the willow's drooping foliage. He had gotten there just in time to see the beautiful bird zoom away from the girl.

"Ve~ What was that?" He asked, taking a seat beside her on the ground.

"Oh, it was a hummingbird coming by to say 'Hello'." She replied, gazing up at him with a smile on her face.

They both looked up as Germany pushed away the tree's foliage, letting in the bright sunlight before it settled back into place.

"There you two are. I swear you are two of a kind." Germany huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sorry Uncle Luddy, next time I'll wait for you. I was just so excited that I couldn't help but run." Sinopa piped, gazing up at him with a sheepish smile.

The title the girl had given him and her smile was enough to melt anyone's heart, including his heart of stone. With a grunt, Germany glanced to one side with slightly pink cheeks.

"Vell, alright, as long as you don't do it again." He mumbled making both the Italian and Sinopa giggle at his flustered state.

"Alright Uncle Luddy!" Sinopa chirped, giving him a brighter smile before turning her attention to the guppies in the pond.

Curious, she gently stuck a finger into the water, watching as the baby fish scattered, hiding in the thick weeds growing in the water. She giggled and removed her finger, drying it on the grass and brushing her bangs out of her face. Even in the dim light her scar stood out against her skin, drawing Germany's attention to it. He opened his mouth to ask about it, but thought better of it and resumed watching over the girl as Feliciano showed her how to make a flower tiara.  
>She giggled and watched her mentor intently, doing her best to copy his instructions. Despite her efforts, all she got out of it was a mess of flowers lying on her lap. She glanced down at the pile and picked one of the flowers up, examining it then placing it on top of her head.<p>

"I'm a flower-head!" Sinopa cried with a laugh and a silly grin.

Italy laughed along and gently brushed the bright yellow flower off of her head, replacing it with his finished tiara. Germany smiled softly at the two, taking his eyes off of them to glance at the sun, which was starting to sink lower and lower in the sky.

"Ve better get back inside." Germany commented, drawing Italy's attention to the sky.

"Ve~ Ludwig's right, we should go back inside bella" Italy said, standing and brushing flowers off of his pants.

"Alright then Feli." Sinopa replied, standing up and moving between the two adults before taking both of their hands.

Grinning up at their shocked expressions, Sinopa gently tugged on them and led the way back to the house. Lovino hadn't returned when they walked back into the house, and was unlikely he'd return for the rest of the day.

Glancing around at the empty house, Sinopa looked up at Italy and asked, "Where's Lovi?"

At this, Italy shrugged and replied, "Ve~ I don't know. He's probably at Big Brother Sp-Antonio's house."

Sinopa tilted her head in curiosity. "I have another uncle? Cool! What's he like?" she asked as she followed Italy to the kitchen.

He chuckled and ruffled her hair, making her pout. "I have a feeling you'll be meeting him soon."

He replied taking out a pot and filling it with tap water.

"What are you making?" Sinopa asked, unable to keep her flow of questions at bay.

"Ve~ I'm making pasta for dinner! Do you like pasta?" Italy chirped, turning around and grinning brightly at Sinopa.

"Hmm, I've never really tried it." She replied.

"Ve~ Well you're gonna love this then!" Italy chirped, bending down to get some ingredients out of the cupboard.

"Ludwig, you wanna help ~ve?"

Germany sighed and patted Sinopa on the head as he passed by, rolling up his sleeves in preparation to cook. Sinopa stood there, watching the adults work, then wandered back down the hall and into her room.

After giving the room another glance over, she climbed onto her bed and, after a few moments, stood up and opened the window. Warm fall air blew in as she sat down and grabbed her stuffed fox, holding it out at arm's length. With a sigh, she pulled it close to her and hugged it, gently rocking her body back and forth.

"I guess Mama and Daddy are back together again, Pooka. I 'member Mama was always so sad whenever she saw our old family picture. You know the one I'm talking about, Pooka, the one with you, me, Mama, Daddy, and Grandmamma; the one where we all look so happy. Well, except Auntie, but she doesn't count because she's a meanie," Sinopa whispered, silent tears starting down her cheeks again.

A small smile slipped onto her face despite the tears as she looked up at the ceiling.

"But I'm glad Mama's happy again with Daddy. Mama really missed him. But," Sinopa hugged her fox tighter, "I wish Mama didn't have to d-die to be happy again!"

Tears fell faster from her eyes as she buried her face into Pooka's soft orange fur, sobs racking her small form.

"H-hey! Why are you crying?" A small, squeaky-sounding voice piped, making Sinopa's head shoot up in alarm.

"W-who's there?" She asked, looking around wildly.

"I'm over here! By the window!"

Sinopa squinted through her tears at the windowsill and a small figure with huge butterfly wings peeped through the curtains. In the light of the sunset, the figure was rendered a silhouette with nearly transparent wings coming out of her back; as the figure was obviously female.  
>Sinopa's eyes widened as she gaped at the figure, a small hand shooting up to wipe her tears away.<p>

"A-are you a fairy?" [1] She asked, scooting closer to the window to get a better look at her.

"Sure am!" The fairy replied, stepping out completely and sitting on the edge of the windowsill.

"Why are you crying? A pretty little girl shouldn't be crying, ya know" she continued, swinging her legs and looking up at the girl.

"W-well, my Mama went to join the Great Spirit today. I-I just m-miss her so much!" Sinopa whispered, looking down in shame as more tears formed at the corner of her eyes.

The fairy "oooh"-ed in understanding and fluttered up to Sinopa, gently placing a tiny hand on her cheek.

"It's going to be alright, I promise." The fairy cooed, gently alighting on Sinopa's offered palm and pecking her nose.

"If you want, I could bring more of my friends to keep you company next time I come over." She continued, drawing back and fluttering her wings slightly.

A small smile graced Sinopa's face as she nodded.

"Great! I gotta go for now; I'll come back soon, I promise!" The fairy exclaimed as she fluttered to the window.

"W-wait! What's your name?" Sinopa cried, reaching out towards her.

"My name's Chepi, little fox." The fairy murmured, patting Sinopa's finger before flying off into the night, a soft glow surrounding her.

The girl scrambled to peer out of the window to watch her new fairy friend flutter out of sight, a small smile shining through her tears. Sinopa jumped and quickly wiped away her tears as someone knocked on the door softly.

"Sinopa, food's ready." Germany said, opening the door and blinking at the dimness.

"Alright Uncle Luddy. Let me wash up." Sinopa replied, hopping off the bed and hurrying past Germany towards the bathroom.

He looked after her as she entered the bathroom, picking up on the subtle hint of tears in her voice. He sighed and led the girl to the dining room, where a steaming platter of pasta sat on the table and a grinning Italy was putting on the finishing touches.

"Ve~ There you are bella! I was wondering where you went!" Italy chirped, spotting the two in the doorway.

"I just went to my room, Feli!" She giggled, hopping onto one of the chairs and gazing at the pasta hungrily.

"Ve~ Go ahead and take some, bella. It's really good." Italy piped, seating himself on her left.

She looked at him confused. "Aren't you going to take some first?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the left.

As Germany sat down, both adults gave the girl a confused look.

"Ve~ Aren't you served first at your house, bella?" Italy asked while reaching towards the serving fork.

Sinopa shook her head. "[2] Grandmamma always served herself first, then Mama and Auntie. I 'member her saying it's just the Indian way that the children are served last. I also 'member sitting at a table by myself. When we moved here, Mama let me sit at the big table with her, though she still served me last." Sinopa explained as Feliciano piled pasta onto her plate.

She eyed it for a few seconds before continuing, "I thought everyone did that. That's why I was so confused."

Germany frowned slightly as he placed a portion of Italy's famous pasta onto his plate.

"Hmm, your customs are...different zan others, zat's all," he said after a moment, picking up his fork and eating a few bites.

"Oh," she said, gazing at the food for a few seconds before she took a bite.

Her eyes lit up with surprise and delight as she hastily chewed and swallowed.

"This is awesome!" She chirped, taking a bigger portion and slurping it up.

With a chuckle, Italy patted her head and said, "Ve~ I'm glad you like it! But eat slower, so you can taste it!"

She giggled and obeyed, slowing down significantly. Germany only smiled and shook his head, pausing when he remembered something the girl had said that confused him.

"Vait, Sinopa, I thought you said you didn't have an aunt?" He asked, making the girl freeze when she realized her error.

"Well," she mumbled, carefully setting down her fork and placing her hands into her lap.

"Auntie didn't get along with Mama and Grandmamma at all. Auntie's really mean and often calls Mama and Grandmamma and I mean names. I 'member one time she asked Grandmamma why she hasn't died yet when they were yelling at each other again. That was right before Grandmamma threw her out of the house. That's why Mama didn't want me to go to Auntie, because she'll only treat me really bad."

Both Italy and Germany looked shocked at hearing such a thing.

"I can see vhy..." Germany mumbled, standing up and taking his empty plate to the sink.

"Ve~ your aunt sounds really mean," Italy said with a frown.

Sinopa nodded and ate her dinner.

"Don't vorry, Kolibri [3], ve von't harm you." Germany said, pausing when he realized what he had unconsciously called her.

Italy glanced up at him in surprise, but grinned happily. Sinopa didn't notice the nickname but continued eating, finally pushing her empty plate away with a satisfied sigh.

"Thank you for dinner, Feli! It was really really good!" She chirped, smiling widely at him.

"Ve~ You are very welcome, bella!" Italy grinned and took both hers and his empty plates and placed them into the sink.

She giggled and hopped down from her chair, hugging the Italian around the legs when he came back into the room. He grinned and picked her up to give her a proper hug.

"Ve~ You have some pasta sauce on your face, bella."

He giggled as he used his thumb to gently wipe away the red sauce on the corner of her mouth. Sinopa giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, a happy smile on her face. As Italy carried her to the couch and sat down, she snuggled deeper into his chest and yawned sleepily.

"You tired bella?" She nodded and closed her eyes.

"Ve~ alright then, let's get you tucked in."

Italy carried the sleepy girl to her room, Germany following, and gently tucked her into bed; Just like Miss. Hungary used to when he was young. He pushed the memory aside and sat on the edge of her bed. Sinopa grinned sleepily and cuddled with Pooka.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Feli." She mumbled, closing her eyes with a yawn.

"Ve~ Think nothing of it, bella. I'm going to be here for you, no matter what." Italy murmured, leaning over and kissing both her cheeks.

"Goodnight"

With a mumbled, "Goodnight" from Sinopa, Italy and Germany carefully left the room, the Italian leaving the door open a crack.

Sinopa sleepily watched them leave before shutting her eyes again and slipping into the realm of sleep.

Both nations made their way down the hall and onto the couch, in which Italy sighed. Germany glanced at his Italian friend and gently placed a broad hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Italy? Being a Vater isn't going to be easy."

Italy lifted his head out of his hands and smiled at Germany.

"Si, I'm absolutely sure. I know it's not-a going to be easy. She needs me, and I want to give her a happy life. She deserves it, especially after everything she's been through."

Germany flashed him a rare smile at that and squeezed his shoulder briefly.

"Good."

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><p><em>AN Again, please, please review! ^^ I love hearing feedback from you guys!_

_1 - I'd like to think that if Sinopa could see spirits, then she can see imaginary creatures, like fairies.  
>2 - My Grandmother once told me about this. I believe she said that this is how it was when she was growing up. She's Cherokee, and since Sinopa's half Cherokee, I'd think that her grandmother would uphold the same traditions.<br>3 - Kolibri - Hummingbird (German) _

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N Oh, my Spirits, I am SO sorry for the long wait! T_T My personal and school life turned hectic and I couldn't find time to post this! But thank you Californialoving, watergoddesskasey, Canadagirl52, SanityAintOptionalnotlogedin, Sixx Shi, Ayumi Kudou, and littlewolfwindspeaker so much for reviewing last chapter! ;u; _

_To make up for my lack of posting anything, I decided to go ahead and post two chapters today! So this is the first of two new chapters! ^^ Please, please review! I love hearing feedback from all of you guys!_

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><p>The two stayed up for a few more hours talking before they decided to go to bed, Italy opting to sleep with Germany instead of his own bed.<p>

The Italian was on the brink of sleep when their bedroom door slowly creaked open. Small feet padded towards the bed and a tiny, shaking hand patted Italy's shoulder.

"Feli?"

His eyes blinked open sleepily as he raised his head slightly to get a better look at whomever was waking him. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he spied Sinopa's small form standing nervously beside him, her stuffed fox dangling from one of her hands.

"Hmm, did you need something, bella?" He murmured sleepily, lifting himself a bit higher and supporting his weight on his forearms.

The little girl sniffed and whispered, "I-I had a b-bad dream. C-can I-I sleep with y-you?"

Understanding dawned on Italy as he smiled warmly.

"Of course you can, bella. Come here," he whispered, sitting up fully and opening his arms to her.

She sniffled again before rushing into his arms, burying her face into his chest. Italy wrapped his arms around her and gently rocked her back and forth to calm her.

"T-the dream was scary, Feli! I dreamed t-that that bad man shot Mama again! Then he s-shot y-you an-and Uncle Luddy a-and U-Uncle L-Lovi! It was the s-scariest dream I-I've ever had Feli!" she sobbed, clinging to the Italian as he rocked her.

"Ssh, it's alright [1] il mio piccolo tesoro. You see, I'm alright, and look! Ludwig is fine, too! It was nothing but a dream; It can't hurt you," Italy cooed, gently shifting so that they were both on the bed.

By then Germany was awake and had shifted to face the two. When the girl had finally calmed down again, Italy gently set her between Germany and himself and covered her with the blanket. When he had laid down again, Sinopa snuggled up to him and pillowed her head on his arm.

"T-thank you...Papa" she whispered into his chest as she fell asleep again, not realizing what she called him.

Italy only smiled down at her and gently petted her hair.

"[2] Buonanotte mio colibrì, sweet dreams." He whispered, kissing her forehead and glancing up to meet Germany's gaze.

Italy smiled at him too before laying his head down and falling asleep, Germany following soon after. Sinopa didn't have any more nightmares that night.

The next couple of days went by pretty much the same way. As much as Italy and Germany kept the orphan occupied and happy, Sinopa always had breakdowns throughout the day. They always came after something reminded her of her mother or her current situation. It could be something a small as a song on the radio or quite often after Sinopa mentions something about her mother. Nonetheless, they were always trying on all three of them.

Romano came back on the third day Sinopa was there. He quite often kept to himself, either shut up in his room or out in the garden, working with his tomatoes. Sinopa, sensing his harsh demeanor, stayed out of his way as much as possible. Despite his apathetic air, Romano was curious about the girl as much as she was curious about him. Whenever his curiosity got the better of him, he often sat in the living room and watched her interact with Feliciano and Germany.

On the fourth day, the same cop came by and gave them permission to go get some more of Sinopa's things from her old house. He also informed them that the police had already alerted the school and Adsila's work of the woman's death.

Gently taking the girl's hand, Italy followed the cop with Germany to the house, which surprisingly wasn't too far of a walk. Sinopa seemed both overjoyed and saddened at the prospect of seeing her old house again.

When they got there, the man unlocked the door and held the door open for them, handing Germany the keys and telling him to lock it up when they were done. The first thing that they were hit with was the sage-like and earthy smell of the house as all three stepped in. Sinopa paused and took a deep breath, a sad smile gracing her lips.

"I missed this smell," she murmured, letting go of Italy's hand and wandering down the hallway.

Curiously, Italy followed while Germany examined a picture frame set on a small table.

It was of Sinopa kneeling in a light blue and lavender dress. In the picture, she was kneeling on a grassy hillside holding her favorite fox, smiling prettily at the camera. The little cowlick she had was sticking up and her scar stretched across her right cheek.

Germany carefully set the picture back down and continued examining what was once Sinopa's house. His eyes wandered from one object to another before pausing on something hanging on the wall. It was another picture, hanging in a dark wooded frame beside the window. Curiosity perked, the German wandered forward and scrutinized the picture.

A younger looking, scar-free Sinopa sat on a woman's lap. A man stood beside the woman and behind an elderly woman in a wheelchair. Both women had many of Sinopa's features, including her eye shape, but it was the man that shared his nose and his cowlick with the girl. All of them except the elderly woman had dark brown hair, the man's border-lining on black. They all had the same dark tanned skin, the elderly woman's darker then the younger three. All four of them were smiling at the camera, Sinopa looking like she was laughing at something.

Germany concluded that this was her family, her mother, father, and grandmother before her father died. He smiled faintly as he gazed at the happy expression on her face before turning his attention to the hallway, where the girl and her Italian were. He wandered down the hall and looked to the left through an open door. Sinopa and Italy were sitting on the bed, going through an old photo album. Germany stepped in, drawing the attention of both the occupants and sat on the bed beside Italy.

"Ve~ hello Ludwig!" Italy chirped, earning a giggle from the girl beside him.

"You're silly, Feli!" Sinopa giggled, gazing up at him with wide adoring eyes.

Italy smiled down at her and gently ruffled her hair. She squeaked indignantly and ducked away, smoothing out her hair again with a grin.

"It's so nice to come back again," she commented, gazing happily around her room.

The walls were painted a soft green, almost a mint color. The curtains matched the walls with a bright yellow chord to tie them back with. Posters hung on almost every wall, most of them depicting a red fox. There was a honey-pine beside table beside Sinopa, a small jukebox-looking alarm, a small tape player, and a small potted plant sitting on top of it. The plant's leaves looked slightly wilted, but still green and healthy.

"Vhat's this?" Germany asked, leaning across Italy and Sinopa to pick up the alarm, looking it over curiously.

"Oh that! That's my alarm for school. It plays really old, but cool music to wake me up in the morning," she replied, reaching over and taking it, pressing one of the buttons on the face.

_"One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock, rock, five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, rock~," _the alarm blared, making both Italy and Germany jump.

Sinopa smiled and danced in place to the song until the recording ended.

"It has five more songs I can choose from, but I like that one the best," Sinopa informed, setting it beside her.

As Germany gazed at her, he noticed something hanging on the wall over the head of her bed. Sinopa noticed his confused look and turned to see what he was looking at.

"Oh, are you looking at my dream-catchers?" she asked, pointing to the objects of the German's attention.

"Vhat are they?" he asked, making Sinopa giggle, gently taking them off of the thumbtacks and holding them up for Germany to see.

"Their dreamcatchers silly! Mama and Daddy made these," Sinopa pointed to the two bigger hoops, "and they helped me to make this one," she pointed to the smaller hoop, attached in between the other two.  
>"Mama told me that it's 'posed to be hung at the head of the bed. It's 'posed to catch bad dreams before they go into my head and let the good dreams through."<p>

Germany and Italy gazed at the hand-made objects with interest; both of them had never seen one before. Germany carefully extended a hand and Sinopa, guessing at his intentions, gently handed the hoops over. He ran a soft finger over the webbing of one of the larger hoops, marveling at the tautness and the handiwork evident in all three of the hoops.

Feathers and beads hung from the sides of the three leather hoops, the tips of the dark brown and black feathers hanging even with the bottom of the small hoop. All three were wrapped in light brown leather and had white sinew that made up its web. Germany noticed small beads were attached to the webbing of all three. One of the large hoops had tiny shells, the other one had light blue beads, and the small one had beads of all shades of green. The smaller of the three wasn't as professional looking as the larger two but was equally as charming, if not more.

Being careful not to harm the beautiful creations, Germany handed Sinopa back the dream-catchers. She smiled and set them on the bed beside her.

At Italy's confused face, Sinopa giggled and stated, "I'm bringing them and the picture book back with me when we go back home."

"Ve~ That's a good idea, bella!" Italy chirped, smiling widely at her.

She grinned back and turned her attention to the tape player beside her, picking it up and pocketing it. Germany wanted to ask what it was, but decided to wait until she was ready to tell them. The girl hopped down from the bed and went around the room, taking a few posters down and laying them on the bed.

For the next hour or so she and Italy went around the house, gathering things that she wanted to take back. Among those things was a hand-woven basket Sinopa's great-grandmother made and passed to Adsila, the old family picture, a few bundles of dried sage, Adsila's own dreamcatcher, and a few other objects Sinopa deemed precious. Germany meanwhile helped roll the posters and put things into a suitcase that Sinopa found.

As Sinopa was passing by the kitchen, she paused and wandered into it, bending down and reaching underneath the sink. She grinned when she found what she was looking for and pulled it out. It was a metal pan with a lid that opened on both hands and a wooden handle attached to it. Italy wandered in after her and paused when he saw the pan.

"Vee~ What's that bella?" he asked, bending down beside her.

"Oh, it's Grandpapa's old popcorn maker. He gave it to Mama when he went to go join the Great Spirit. Oh, I remember Grandmamma's house always smelled like popcorn! She always used to have a basket of popcorn out for us to snack on!" Sinopa replied with a smile, holding the pan fondly.

Italy smiled and gently took the pan, looking it over carefully.

"Vee~ Do you want to take it back home?" he asked, handing it back to Sinopa when she stood back up.

Sinopa nodded and scrambled to the pantry where she retrieved a tall container full of small yellow-brown popcorn kernels. She grinned up at Italy and wandered back to her old room where she helped Germany pack the popcorn into the suitcase. Before any of them had a chance to say anything, a loud knocking came from the door. Sinopa and Italy jumped at the sudden noise.

"I'll get it," Germany stated, standing up from his kneeling position and marching down the hall.

Sinopa and Italy followed curiously, the girl holding tightly to the Italian's hand. Germany grasped the door knob and opened the door wide enough to poke his head out. Standing on the porch was the cop from earlier, Celio.

"Ciao. I came by to see if you guys were pretty much done here," Celio said with a small smile.

Germany grunted and glanced back at the two standing in the hallway. Italy nodded and Germany opened the door wider, giving the man a full view of the house. Celio smiled gently at a slightly-frightened Sinopa and gave a little wave. Sinopa blinked and gave him a small smile in return, her little fists still clinging to the hem of Italy's shirt timidly. Germany stood to one side and let the man come through, remaining standing a little off to the side.

"Are you guys about done here? I was sent to help pack if you needed help," Celio asked, gazing at the girl, who nodded.

"I was also sent here to inform that Adsila Scott, your mother, right?" Celio looked at Sinopa, who nodded her agreement.  
>"Well, I'm not entirely sure if you know about this, bella, but you have an aunt in the United States. Since you have no other living relatives, you are to be sent to your aunt's to live with her."<p>

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><p><em>Translations:<em>

_[1] il mio piccolo tesoro - my little darling_

_[2] Buonanotte mio colibrì - Goodnight my hummingbird_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N Aaand here's the second new chapter I'm posting today! ^^ It's a bit short and for that, I'm sorry... But please review! ^^ Reviews make both me and Sinopa very happy! ^^ _

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><p>Sinopa's eyes widened in panic as she clutched Italy's leg in possessive fear. Celio looked alarmed at the dramatic change in the girl and glanced up at the two other adults.<p>

"Oh mister, please don't send me to her! Please! I'll do anything!" Sinopa whimpered, fearful tears starting to well up in her eyes.

Celio furrowed his dark brows and came forward to kneel in front of her. Sinopa, seeing his advance, slunk back, still holding on tightly to Italy's leg and causing him to stumble a bit.

"Why don't you want to go, bella?" Celio asked, "You still have family left, and I'm pretty sure she'll be more than happy to see you."

Sinopa shook her head wildly and let out a fearful sob.

"No she won't! Auntie always said that she hated Mama with all her heart! Mama and she used to get into huge fights, and she'd call Mama, Grandmamma and I horrible names! Whenever she saw me, she used to try and hurt me, just to hurt Mama! Oh, please, please don't send me to her!" Sinopa wailed, burying her face into the cloth of Italy's pants.

All three adults looked shocked at her outburst. Sighing through his nose, Germany came forward and gently pried her off of Italy's leg, scooping her up into his arms as he did so. Sinopa whimpered and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Uncle Luddy! Please don't let them send me to her!"

Germany sighed and stared at the cop sternly, making him cringe in fear.

"Can't you hear how terrified she is? You cannot send her with such a voman!" Germany stated over the girl's fearful sobs.

Celio ran a hand through his hair and exhaled loudly, his dark brows furrowing as he thought.

"She could be lying," he concluded and upon seeing the outraged look on Germany face quickly added, "However, I'll go back and discuss this with my boss. But other than that, I can't help her any more even if I wanted to."

The Italian cop visibly relaxed when Germany nodded his approval.

"Ve~ how did you guys find out about her aunt?" Italy asked, moving over and gently taking the girl, petting her hair as she struggled to calm down.

Celio sighed again and crossed his arms, looking down at the floor as he struggled to remember.

"We had to go through Adsila's records, mostly from her work, to verify if she was a citizen or not. It turns out that she was here on a temporary work visa. She was only here to help set up a branch here in Rome, and then go back after about a year. Her work transferred her files from the U.S branch to this one, since she was going to be here for a while.  
>"On one of those files was a list of her kin, most of whom were deceased. It also showed that her only living next-of-kin is a woman labeled as 'Salali Samael', formally Scott. By law, any child under 18 that has one or both parents die has to live with the next-of-kin. I-I truly am sorry, but that's how it works, Mr. Vargas."<p>

Italy nodded and cast a sorrowful look over a shaking Sinopa, lifting a hand to gently pet her hair. Sinopa whimpered softly and lifted her head to look at Italy.

"F-Feli, please don't send me to her!"

Feliciano smiled sadly at her and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"I-It seems like we have no choice, mio colibrì. I-I am so sorry, bella."

Seeing the girl's face morph to horror and sorrow, Celio bit his lip as he quickly tried to come up with a solution to leave them all happy.

"Hey, why don't we arrange a meeting with Salali to discuss Sinopa's custody issue? That way, if she agrees to take her, Sinopa doesn't have to travel as far. If she doesn't, then we can eliminate that option and move on."

Germany paused in his pacing to consider it.

"Zat… sounds like it might vork. Vat do you say, Feliciano?" Germany mused.

Italy nodded and petted Sinopa again, his hand trailing down to her chin and gently lifting her head to look at him.

"Ve~ It sounds fine. What do you think, bella?"

Sinopa sniffed and used a hand to roughly wipe her eyes.

"I-I guess it's alright. A-auntie won't be happy to see me, though."

Italy smiled at her and leaned up to kiss her forehead lovingly, making her giggle despite her tears.

"Vee~ It'll be alright, bella, you'll see. When and where will this meeting be?"

Celio bit his lip and stayed silent for a few moments before sighing, "Well, I still need to run it by my boss. If he agrees, then I can call Salali myself and set up something. More than likely, she'll want to stay in the United States. If that is the case, then I will personally escort you three to the U.S. and oversee the meeting. If that woman is anything like what Sinopa claims, then I don't want to see her taking that girl."

Sinopa lifted her head and managed a weak smile of thanks at the man.

"T-thank you…"

Celio grinned and reached out to gently ruffle her hair, making her huff in annoyance.

"You're welcome little one," he glanced around the house and put a hand on his hip, "Well; you guys need some help with moving stuff?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE NEEDS TO GO TO AMERICA?"

Italy cringed at the volume of Romano's yell, rubbing at his ears. Italy had Germany take Sinopa out into the garden to play after the four, including Celio, came back with Sinopa's belongings. Romano had been slumped on the couch, lazily watching TV while he waited for them to come back. Celio left Italy to fill his brother in on the plan, but not before casting an unnoticed suspicious glance at them as he made his way out.

"Vee~ It's just an idea, fratello. We don't even know if they'll agree to it," Italy replied, shrinking down slightly as Romano glared at him.

"If the bambina has an aunt she can live with, I don't see why you just send her to her, idiota. It'll get her out of our ha-"

Now it was Italy's turn to glare at his brother, cutting Romano off mid-sentence.

"No, I will not send her to that woman if I have to! Have you heard Sinopa talk about her? She's absolutely terrified of her! That woman will do nothing but harm her for some twisted pleasure!"

Romano remained stony-faced, though a flash of guilt and pity flashed through his olive eyes. He glanced out the window where he could see Sinopa placing flowers on a blushing Germany's head. The irritable Italian's face softened slightly when she giggled before turning back to Italy.

"So the [1] cagna is abusive towards her?"

Italy's lips twitched into an amused smile, knowing that he had convinced Romano to their cause.

"Si, from what Sinopa has said."

Romano nodded and glanced back out at Sinopa, who was tugging Germany along to a new part of the garden. A small amused grin flashed across his lips for a moment before he turned back to Italy, his normal scowl in place again.

"Fine. But I'm going with you… but only to give that cagna a piece of my mind!"

Italy grinned and threw himself onto his brother, hugging him tightly. Italy knew that Sinopa had Romano wound around her little finger and that deep inside, Romano didn't mind.

"Veee~ Grazie! Sinopa'll be so happy to know that you're going, too!"

* * *

><p><em>Translation:<em>

_[1] cagna - bitch_


End file.
